Modern communications networks may include thousands of different network elements of various types and made by different manufacturers. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a conventional communications network 100 can include up to thousands or more network elements, such as network elements 105a . . . 105n. Network elements 105a . . . 105n may include routers 105a, switches 105b, servers 105c, and/or other equipment. Fewer or more elements than are illustrated in FIG. 1 may be provided. The design and operation of the communications network 100 and the network elements 105a . . . 105n are well known to those having skill in the art and need not be described further herein.
Management systems, methods, and computer program products are widely used in communications networks to manage these network elements. The management systems, methods, and computer program products can provide information regarding the status and configuration of network elements from each element to a network management center via a network management protocol. Well-known network management protocols, such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP), may enable access to information for network elements defined in a Management Information Base (MIB).
Examples of management systems include Cisco's CiscoWork™ and TTI Telecom's Netrac™ Operations Support System (OSS). CiscoWorks™ may allow access to a multitude of network information for Cisco switches, access servers, and routers. Additional information about CiscoWorkS™ may be found at http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/pd/wr2k/rsmn/index.shtml.
Netrac™ may allow service providers to effectively monitor and manage multi-vendor networks, but may require several days to scan all of the elements in a large (5000+device) network. Additional information about Netrac™ may be found at http://www.tti.co.il/.